Is Jesus the One Thing Lacking Today?

Introduction

Do you have a person in your life, may be yourself, who is hard to buy gifts for, seems to have everything they need or want, can buy for themselves, good education, good job, money, Church life and community, everything?

Body

Body

In our Gospel the rich young ruler is one such person! He has everything he needs or wants, excellent morals keeping the law, good social standing, but he knows he is missing something, comes to Jesus asking, what must he do to inherit eternal life? I love Jesus’s response, it says Jesus looking at him, loved him, then he said you are lacking one thing, go sell what you have give it to the poor and come follow me. Ouch! The man’s face fell and went away sad. We all feel bad for the man and feel the tension of this saying for ourselves but it shouldn’t because this encounter with Jesus has set this man on a lifelong quest of inheriting eternal life, thinking about what Jesus said and accomplishing it. Because Jesus Loved Him. In our first reading the wisdom writers says I prayed and prudence was given me, I pleaded and the spirit of wisdom came to me. He says he treasures wisdom more than gold and silver, pleasures, honor and power even more than his heath! Lacking one thing.

Conclusion

Conclusion

In our Gospel Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Cities in Jesus time had walls and large gates, that closed at night for security. There was a small gate inside the Large gate for caravans to enter when they arrived late at night. When a camel had a lard load, they had to off load the camel so it could go thought the small gate. That what Jesus is talking about

Inheriting eternal life is a lifelong process of letting go of excess baggage, being not weight down, possessed by possessions, not running after pleasures, places of honor and power. You know Jesus looks at us and Loves us the same. Is Jesus the one thing lacking today? Jesus is the Wisdom the wisdom writer is praying and pleading for, desiring to have above all things? Having everything and not having Jesus adds up to having nothing at the end. But having Jesus, is having everything, now and forever Because Jesus Loves us.